Animal Within
by CosmicHorse
Summary: Victor Creed's got a girlfriend. Not a real summary to go with this story, but it's just a oneshot. Victor Creed/OC


Trinity sat on her plank of a bed, clutching a small white jade horse figurine. She turned the little figure over and traced its edges with her finger. Memories on how she got it came flooding back to her.

She sat on a grassy hill with Victor beside her. His strong, rough hand covered hers. She was smiling at his last joke and when Victor asked, "What is your favorite animal?" she laughed.

"Why?" she asked, looking at him.

"Just tell me." He said, furrowing his eyebrows before giving her a slow smile.

Trinity pondered it a moment before turning back to him and said, "A horse."

A few weeks later, Victor had given her the figure. "Carved it myself." He said, with a smirk and a kiss.

It was perfect then and it was still perfect now. With tentative hands, Trinity ran one up herself to clutch her necklace. It was a simple white gold oval locket with roses engraved on the front. Inside was the letter V in very crude hand writing on one side and the only picture of her and Victor together on the other. When Stryker first sent her here to this hell hole, they had taken both the figure and the locket from her. Trinity went insane and became uncontrollable. She would scream for hours on end and even tried to kill herself once. After the evening guard came in and found her bleeding on the floor, the locket and horse were returned to her.

Trinity looked from the horse off into nothingness and smiled as she thought of Victor. Some sounds of clanging metal doors sounded outside her cell, pulling her back into reality. She placed the figure back on its little table before flopping down onto her pallet as the guard entered and announced, "Visitor for you."

Trinity sat up as William Stryker, the man who ripped her and Victor apart, entered. She growled low in her throat and asked, "What do you want?"

Stryker took the small wooden stool for himself before saying, "Victor has gone rouge."

"About time." Trinity said with a malevolent voice.

"He discovered that you were alive—" Stryker began but Trinity cut him off with, "After being lied to for three years, he finally found out you were lying to him?"

"He knows you are alive but not where you are." Stryker stated.

"Bull." Trinity said, standing up. "Are we talking about the same Victor here? The same Victor that could track a falcon on a cloudy day after the trail had gone cold for 6? If you're talking about that Victor, he'll figure out where I am and come for me."

Stryker looked at the slender red haired woman up and down. She looked so fine and delicate that it still amazed him that Trinity was probably the toughest person he could think of, besides Victor Creed and James Logan. Trinity caught Stryker looking at her so she locked eyes with him, her bright electric blue eyes glimmering. She walked to the far wall and stared at it like it was a window.

"We need your help… to bring him in." Stryker said, rising as well.

Trinity didn't respond to his comment, but spread her arms a bit and said, "I haven't seen the sun in 2 years, 364 days and 13 hours." She paused and sighed. "You want my help? Fine." she turned to face Stryker. "Get me outside each day and he will come. You can set up guard or whatever, but I won't help you unless you get me into the sun; no matter what it takes."

Stryker smirked. He thought that he had won. However, Stryker was far from victory in Trinity's book.

The next day, Trinity was escorted under heavy guard outside for lunch. The land all around was barren desert in an attempt to deprive her water power. Trinity had the power over water, fire and earth but around her neck was a trial collar that suppressed her powers over the three elements but not her healing abilities. The warmth of the sun usually fueled her fire powers, so when the warm sun rays hit her pale skin, Trinity felt almost whole again. She closed her eyes, angled her head to face the sun and spread her gaunt arms wide, embracing the sun's warmth.

Every day, for 5 days, Trinity ate her meager lunch out in the sun, taking the figure and locket with her. The guards swarmed the complex like flies on poop. Trinity didn't know how many other prisoners were in the complex or if it was just herself but she didn't care either way. On the 6th day, she felt him. Masking her emotions on her face, she finished nibbling on her bread. Once finished, she placed her hands on the table, casting her eyes down. Right then, like a silent signal, Victor came swooping down and landed onto a guard, killing him. The other nearby guards saw Victor and took aim with their rifles, but before they could get a shot off Trinity felt a surge of power that was not able to be suppressed by the collar come flooding her senses and she smothered the guards in sand. Thick pillars of sand rose up and smothered the other guards of the complex. No one was left capable of doing anything when Victor crossed to Trinity, taking her body in with his eyes.

She had always been slender, but now she was gaunt. Some color was in her cheeks but not enough to make her look healthy and her already wild hair was matted from showers with not brushing. Yet, despite her emaciated state, her eyes sparkled at the sight of him moving to her. As he drew closer to her, their faces mere inches apart, Trinity said, in the barest whisper, "Victor…"

Victor smirked and kissed her with three years of built up passion. Never had he felt this way about anybody before, but he needed her like air. He pulled away and stood gasping for a moment before wrapping her collar in his fist, crushing it off her neck. Trinity was free. Victor took her small hand in his large, calloused one and led her out of the complex.

A few months past and Trinity was looking more like herself. She had to cut off all her hair because of the matting but it had grown back and now tickled her shoulders. Her skin was healthier looking with a faint glow of a tan. Trinity had convinced Victor to get a job, a bouncer at a local bar. He liked it and it made Trinity happy, but their lives were far from Champaign and roses. Victor seemed to be incapable of loving Trinity true whereas Trinity was intoxicated with him. They often fought like banshees. How they managed to stay together was a mystery to Trinity's friends and Victor's coworkers. Neither one of them ever apologized but all it took was Victor's bolting up in bed from nightmares and Trinity's putting her soft hand on his shoulder to calm the tormented seas. One time her felt her hand on him and he slashed out, contacting her face. He wasn't sorry, but he felt bad that he had hurt her for trying to help him. She clutched her lacerated face while Victor threw off the covers and practically ran outside.

He stood breathing in the cold forest air. Victor had taken Trinity into the forests of Montana near the Canadian border. He inhaled the cold, harsh air when her scent filled his nostrils. She didn't say a word but wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pressed her head to his spine. Her face had healed but they just stood there, Victor in his pajama bottoms and Trinity in his pajama shirt. A few moments later, Trinity whispered in Victor's ear, "I'm cold."

Victor turned quickly and scooped Trinity up into bridal style. His thick arms held her close to his chest and she was instantly warm. She snuggled her head against his chest as he carried her back into their room. Thinking that she had fallen asleep in his arms, Victor gently laid her on the bed before lying down next to her on his back. Trinity rolled over and rested her hand across his broad chest while safe in the crook of his arm.

About 2 weeks later, a man came to their house looking for Victor. He introduced as Eric Lehnsherr and as a mutant.

"What do you want?" Victor growled at him.

Before the man could answer, Trinity walked up behind Victor and asked, "What's going on?"

"This guy says he's a mutant Trin." Victor said, roughly pointing at Lehnsherr.

Trinity turned to Lehnsherr and asked, "Are you government?"

"No my dear. I am private enterprise. May I come in?" Lehnsherr asked.

Victor moved aside and Trinity lead him into the messy living room. Lehnsherr looked around for a seat but the couch and all the chairs were covered with stuff ranging from clothes to magazines. Victor plopped himself on the couch and Trinity slid down onto the floor. Lehnsherr remained standing a moment before tipping the contents of a cluttered chair over onto the floor. Righting the chair, he sat down and said, "You are mutants."

"Duh." Trinity said, receiving a light tap from Victor.

"Trin, be nice." He said.

"No." Trinity said, "Obviously he wants something and I hate people wanting."

"But I want you." Victor said, running the back of his claws down her cheek.

"Well that's different." Trinity said, rubbing her face against his hand.

"I want you both to join my cause." Lehnsherr said.

"And what cause would that be?" Victor said, refocusing on their visitor.

"Mutant freedom." Lehnsherr said.

"I'm in." Victor said, sting up.

"Wait a minute Victor, let's actually think about this." Trinity said, resting a hand on his knee.

"What is there to think about? We are Americans and mutants. Don't we deserve to be treated as equals by the rest of the population?" Victor asked.

"At what cost?" Trinity asked, rising off the floor and moving to the kitchen.

"Whatever the cost." Victor said in a harsh voice, seeing her lean against the sink.

All was quiet a moment, only the faint sound of water coming from the faucet. Victor rolled his eyes a bit before he got up and followed her into the kitchen. He went to her and grabbed her shoulders in his hands, pulling her away from the sink and into him. He gently kissed her ear and whispered in a husky voice, "I'll protect you Love. You won't have to do anything that you don't want to, just come with me."

Trinity turned head and kissed Victor. "Alright, but if you leave me Victor, so help me I will hunt you down and geld you. And that, my dear man, is something that won't ever heal." She warned him.

"I like it when you threaten me." Victor growled, roughly hugging her.

"I like it when you take me seriously." Trinity said, nuzzling into his strong chest.

They returned to the living room and Victor said, "We're in."

"Excellent. You may call me Magneto. And what would you like to be called?" Lehnsherr asked.

Victor smirked, revealing his fangs and said, "Sabertooth."

Lehnsherr nodded and looked at Trinity. She gave him a sly smile and said, "Guardian."

He cocked an eyebrow and said, "Alright then. When will you be ready to go?"

"I'll go pack." Trinity said, kissing Victor on the cheek before padding off into their bedroom.

Victor and Magneto stood in silence for a moment before Magneto asked, "Is she your wife?"

Victor snorted, "No, but she might as well be."

"I see." Magneto said, his eyes catching a slight movement behind the door.

"But if anyone lays a hand on her and I find out, they won't be alive to defend themselves." Victor warned.

"I see." Magneto said, pulling his thoughts away.

Trinity returned with two packs. She had changed into some sexy black jeans, her combat boots and a tight black t-shirt with her black leather jacket. Victor was already in his usual clothes so he took the pack she had thrown at him. They followed Magneto out of their house, Trinity following Magneto and Victor bringing up the rear. He grabbed her arm and asked, "Did you get everything in there out?"

"Everything of value." Trinity said.

"Burn it." Victor said, releasing her before moving past her.

Trinity nodded and with a snap of her fingers, the house they had come to call home burst into flames Trinity watched the house burn for a moment before turning back to Victor and for the first time, he saw the barest hint of sorrow in Trinity's eyes. She hurried past him and stalked behind Magneto.

Trinity ran with Magneto's cause for 13 years. She never felt comfortable with what went down around them. Victor, however, was enjoying every second of it. He slowly began to realize that the feelings he felt for Trinity was something more than physical. As he delved deeper and deeper into the cause, Trinity began to slip slowly away from him. One day, after an incredibly long haul, Trinity had slipped into an abnormally quiet mode. Victor made the mistake of asking her what was wrong. All the stress of the past years came cascading down around her. "Everything Victor. I feel like I'm losing you and I can't stand by and watch all this stuff taking over you. I want out Victor… I'm leaving."

"And what is taking over me?" Victor asked, as Trinity began to go to her room.

"The animal. The bloodthirsty, blind animal that I fought so hard against. I'm gone." Trinity said as she ran out of the room, slamming the door of her own room.

She packed up her belongings and clothes and left. Victor just watched her drive away in her black Jeep. He felt his long forgotten heart breaking. The next few days, Victor either sulked around or was overly brutal on missions. After a week, Victor stopped being human, giving complete control over himself to the animal. The same animal that drove Trinity away.

Trinity, however, ran to the only safe place that she knew: Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Charles Xavier took her in with an open heart and no questions asked. He too wanted to be considered an equal with humanity, but he wouldn't force equality upon humans. Trinity fell right into the step as a teacher and mentor, but she refused to go on missions with the X-Men. Only Xavier knew why; she didn't want to fight Victor.

She stayed with the school for 2 years. It wasn't until Logan came in and was attacked by a mutant called Sabertooth. Trinity suppressed the urge to gasp at the thought of Victor attacking his only brother after everything that they had been trough. She kept her poker face up and smiled as Xavier introduced the team.

"And this is Trinity Kennedy who is called Guardian." Xavier said to Logan, gesturing towards Trinity.

Logan turned to face her and a slight recognition swept across his face. Trinity grinned at him as he turned back to Xavier and said, "This place is a joke."

He then turned to Scott Summers, who was standing in the doorway. "Cyclops right?" he asked, taking Scotts shirt into his fists. "Want to get out of my way?"

Scott looked to Xavier for help. Xavier asked, "Logan, it's been 15 years; not knowing who or what you are."

"Shut up." Logan said, turning to Xavier.

"Give us a chance…I think you might find what you are looking for." Xavier said, not missing a beat.

There was a pause before Logan asked, "What is this place?"

Xavier gave Logan the grand tour of the school. After that, Xavier returned to his office to find Trinity waiting for him.

"I know Trinity."Xavier said, crossing over to his desk.

"There can't be much humanity left in Victor if he would attack his own brother." Trinity said and paused. "I've got to tell Logan."

"No. Logan has to remember by himself." Xavier said.

"Fine Professor, but if he asks me a question, I'm not going to lie to him." Trinity said and started for the door.

"I wouldn't expect you to." Xavier said as she left his office.

A few days past and Logan had settled in. One morning, he was eating breakfast when Trinity came trudging down into the kitchen. Her wild red hair was unbrushed and her electric blue eyes still looked sleepy. Logan couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen her before. Trinity poured herself some apple juice and held two pieces of bread in her hands. With a rather loud popping and crackling sound, Trinity had made toast the green way. She sat down across from Logan and munched on her toast. After a few quiet moments, Logan's curiosity finally broke. "Have I seen you before?"

"Yes, just yesterday I walloped your butt in training." Trinity replied taking a huge bite of her toast.

"No I mean before I came here." Logan reiterated, "You seem familiar."

"I have a common face." Trinity said, gulping down the last of her juice.

Just as Trinity bit into her second piece of toast, a teenage boy who went by the name Pyro, came trotting in and asked, "Hey Trinity, are you making toast?"

"Made." Trinity said, finishing her toast.

"Can you make me some?" Pyro asked, plopping down next to her.

With one swift moment, Trinity slapped Pyro on the back of the head and said, "I'm not your mother John. Make it yourself."

Logan saw the slap and suddenly he was flooded with memories of Trinity doing the exact thing to a guy named Wade. Another slap was given to a black man with a Texas accent; another to an Asian looking guy and another to a really tall guy. Once even to him. Logan remembered, some but not all of before he got his metal claws.

The next day Rouge took off and that night all the X-Men ended up on Liberty Island. Everyone except Trinity who had elected to stay behind to stay at the mansion. Trinity was sitting in her room, fingering her horse figure when a small girl came in and sat down next to her. The girl asked, "Why are you here when you could be helping?"

"The man I love is there but on the other side and I don't want to fight against him." Trinity explained.

"So, you are trying to protect him?" the girl asked.

"Yes."

"How can you protect someone without being there to make sure that they are safe?"

Trinity didn't reply. She just sat there and thought. Clutching the horse, she bolted up and hurriedly pulled her boots on and slipped the horse into her pocket. Turning to her desk, Trinity pulled out an envelope with the name Logan on it and handed it to the girl. "When the others get back and I'm not with them, would you give this to Logan?" Trinity asked the girl.

The girl smiled and nodded her head before bouncing out of the room. Trinity slipped into her black trench coat and went to the garage. Sliding into her black Jeep, Trinity gunned the engine and headed toward Liberty Island. She reached the shore of New York overlooking the island. Stepping out of the car, Trinity summoned up a wave of water which carried her across the sound to the island.

When Trinity arrived, the X-Men had just finished battling Mystique and Toad and had ascended to immense stairs of the statue. Trinity bolted up the stairs and arrived in the head of the monument mere moments after Sabretooth had thrown Logan out of the head, following shortly after him. The X-Men saw Trinity and it was Storm who asked, "What are you doing here?"

Trinity just smiled and climbed out of the head to see Logan knock Sabretooth to the edge of the statue. Losing his balance as Logan slammed his foot into his chest, Sabretooth stumbled off the edge, hanging on by clutching the side. Trinity let out a small scream and Logan looked up. Rushing to the edge of the monument, Trinity thrust her hand towards Sabretooth and said, "Victor, take my hand!"

Sabretooth looked up and a flash of humanity stampeded across Victor's face. "Trinity?" he asked, voice harsh and unsure if it was really for real.

"Yes Victor it's Trinity. Take my hand." She pleaded, eyes on the brink of tears.

"Trinity… I'm… I'm sorry." Victor said. For the first time ever, he had apologized.

"We can talk about it later, just take my hand Victor." Trinity said, her voice catching on tears.

"Trinity, I love you." Victor confessed.

"I've always loved you." Trinity said and she brushed her fingers against his, "Just take my hand."

Victor locked eyes with her and tried to take her hand but his hold slipped. "NO!" Trinity screamed and lunged for him, toppling off the statue after him.

Logan lunged after her but he was too late. Time slowed for Trinity and Victor. He stretched up, taking her hand and pulled her to him. Victor held Trinity against his chest as they plummeted to the ground. He kissed her passionately as they hit the ground at the base of the statue, Victor breaking Trinity's fall with his own body.

The X-Men saved the humans and Rogue from the evils of Magneto. As they ran back to their jet, they passed by Victor and Trinity, locked in their embrace. Logan paused a moment and looked at the pair, voice harsh with sorrow, "I knew her."

They left them to be taken by the city's morgue. That night, the doctor cut into Victor's chest, awaking the man. Victor promptly woke up and the animal inside of him killed the doctor. He whipped around and saw Trinity on the slab next to his. She wasn't moving. Victor walked over to her, took her slightly cold hand and pressed it to his face. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them when he heard her say, "You'll have to cut that hair."

Victor smiled down at her and helped her off the slab. They grabbed their clothes and ran back to where Trinity had burned down their house all those years ago. Along the way, they swung into Vegas and got married. Instead of rings, they got the infinity symbol tattooed onto their ring fingers.

It was raining when they got to their ruined home. Glancing at Trinity as she shivered slightly in the rain, Victor put his arm around her shoulders and whispered seductively into her ear, "How about a log cabin?"

Trinity smiled and leaned into his mass. She kissed him. A kiss for forever.

The next day, somehow Logan ended up in Trinity's former room. He was leaning in the doorway of her room when the little girl came up to him. "She told me to give this to you if she didn't come back." The girl said, handing him the envelope.  
She turned and walked away, Logan cocking one eyebrow after her. Logan looked down at the envelope in his hand and he went into Trinity's room. Closing the door, he sunk down onto her bed and ripped open the envelope. It had a crisp letter and a picture in it. Logan didn't notice the picture until after her read the letter.

Logan,

If you are reading this, I'm not there to tell you this in person. Oh how I wish I was. The Professor wanted you to remember on your own, but now I'm gone so it doesn't matter anymore. I knew you when you had bone claws and actually had memories. We worked together for a man named William Stryker. We did some bad things… Very bad things. But you and I… you and I kept our sense of what was actually right. No matter what, Logan you are NOT and animal. You never were and even when you walked close to that line, you never crossed it. Logan, the man you know as Sabretooth is your brother Victor Creed and I love him. He was your true brother; he would never have let anything happen to you. But that was before he let the animal take him.

The picture was out team under Stryker. There's you next to me. The man next to me is Victor. Now, the tall blonde guy behind Victor's shoulder is Fred Dukes; he didn't like you all that much. The shorter brown haired guy with the ninja swords is Wade Wilson. We all dislike him. He talked way too much for his own good. The Asian guy (I forgot his name) was called Agent Zero who was a master at guns. The balding shorty is C. Bradley. He was pretty nice but a little nerdy. And last but not least is our best friend, the black man named John Wraith. Stryker is the last in the picture.

Don't resent me for not telling you in person Logan, please. I loved you like a brother and I hoped that this helped you to remember all the good times… and the bad… that we had together.

Yours,

Trinity "Guardian" Kennedy

P.S. Your actual name is James Howlett Logan and Victor and I called you Jimmy.

Logan read the letter again and again, looking over all the faces in the picture. It seemed that only Trinity and Victor were smiling. At first he didn't notice it but Trinity's hand was resting on his own shoulder while she and Victor were holding hands. Logan looked up from the picture and remembered.

He remembered when he and Victor ran away from home, the battles they both faced, meeting Trinity for the first time, joining up with Stryker, fighting with Victor in Africa and going to that island with Gambit. There was still so much that he didn't remember but what Trinity had given him helped. Logan looked around her room and for some odd reason, he felt her. He felt her peace, all around him. '_Rest in peace Trinity_.' He thought to himself, slipping the letter and picture into his pocket. He would keep them forever.

The End


End file.
